THE ASSOCIATION GAME.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 20309, 17 July 1929, Page 15

THE ASSOCIATION GAME.

MATCH FOR ENGLISH TROPHY WELLINGTON'S STRONG TEAMLOCAL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES. The premier .'natch of the season will He staged at Blandford Park next Saturday when Wellington wiil dispute possession '4 the English Trotdiv nit It the Auckland. Considerable interest has aroused ity tin- impending Mruggio -ittd a h.ilHant «-xhiHitk>n of the I'flf- Is .ertain 10 eventuate. Wellington is .-ending .1 team whsoii :s picriiai'ly 'hi- best that has ever rrtJTld 'fi Auckland. (''.irnhining Hrtiliant offerishe qualities u;tii sound defence, it "houltl Itiwe capable of euending or beating any representative side in the Dominion. The following review of the team is of interest

['. Mc-Wmii. ttic aoaitwppi, is one oi :lie Mars of ilic side and is the best soen i) Woiliticii'ii for a lont: time. Gii.h

is the t•;!•!>!,.m and fills die riffht Itatk position Hi- .s <1 utility nlovw. ,uid is,

finailv fft'i-. sive ■ u any position. Guest, thf> »'llif-r ;uiii•a-: k, ,s one- -m the must

lircnmiug tJoferiilers 'fie team jvisse-sst».s. J'lie eight half j><>sjtion is .xrupiwl !>y •I. Mt Leod, whose sjwd and > irons: taikluiii i.'f a ieaiine ci' his play. (.Vutrehajf and Ipj't• Ijaif are •■! hy J. ramphe!] ,1)1 (j A. Hanioti reMtei tiveiy. r.vo fine tiwensivc players with an eye for an openiuq. Tlie former has represented both Nt-w Zealand and Wellington previousiv.

The forwards are an especially dangerous quintet, possessed of excellent shooting abilities and a fine combination. The wing positions are occupied by R. McLeod and D. Craig. both of whom are fast, elusive exponents of forward play. They liif conMdered to i*e the iiest men that 'he capital city has ever possessed. N. Ri;rby 2nd J. Smith- who fii! the inside forward berths, should prove the best scoring men <>f the side, as Loth are prolific goal-getters. Good Centre Forward. Enthusiasts wij] be delighted 'a A. Leslie acairj in Auckland .15 the centreforward ot rite team. Possessed a powerful i>oot he does not hesitate so use it when opportunity presents itself. >. Maryhmeni. ;> another utility man, beins especially attractive :n the attacking line.

in sjv.te ..if the iorrenti*] rain "ti Saturday. :!t]r.t. ,-ah it tile four -cmoi grade gurries :n the Auckland cliaiJipionship were played. The Miociiinc conditions militated against expositions of brilliant football. but the principal same at Blandfotd Park was of a >ar»risiriclv good standard. Thistle ovenvheimed a •..•onsiderably disorganised North Shore side, while Celtic and Onehunca indulged :n a mud-lark at Blandford Park.

Tramways has now dinrned t!«e diainpiori.>hiu with an indispuiabie lead :<fi the rest "J The teams. It was decidedly disappointing to see Ponsoriby go under. as 'nth any fortune at nil it might have reversed the result. Two penalty kicks were the deciding factor, the same player heir.™ unlucky to infringe twice. Batty was as solid and safe as usual, and ins handling: was a feat fire considerin.: 'he dimrnities under wbkb he was working. If it had not been for his constant vigilance Ward and Rogers Mould haw penetrated the defence on several occasions. Hampered Combination. .McElligott and Simpson gave an almost faultless display as Tramways' last back line, both men kicking cleanly on the volley. Tinkler and Fyvse appeared to ?et through the most work in the haif-i-ine. the heavy going not. suiting Christie too tveii. >pong was very seldom on the target when he shot, and considerably hampered :lie combination of the rest of the forwards. The other wing, Lewis, was hardly determined enough on occasions. although he put across several good •••enties. Bed. Spencer and Williams -were a hard-working trio with a splendid understanding between them. Lyon was every bit as good as his opponent :a the opposite goal. He prevented mam- shots from passing, and showed rare judgment in clearing. Lomie was a shade better back than Williams. The half-line was effective without being unduly noticeable. Balloch was a reliable tackier, but he failed to place his clearing kicks with accuracy. Junes was •seldom seen shooting, as the greater part of his game was taken up with initiating movements, fStewart was easily the best forward, showing a fine sense of opportunism arid accuracy in ins shooting. Ward and Rogers acquitted themselves fairiv creditablv.

Although having very little opposition Thistle played a fine same on Saturday, the whole team working in perfect unison. The backs gave a steady and forceful exposition, supporting the forwards " o the utmost. Kay was the ontstanding player on the held, finishing with eight, goals out oi 1L This player needs very few openings to score, but. when given the latitude he received at Devon port , nothing could hold him. He proved much too big a handful for McDonald to hold, and the brant of the defence fell upon Gerrard. who played a splendid game when confronted by overwhelming odds. Chalmers and Hislon also shone, although their displays rather faded in the light of the left winger's brilliance. North Shcre Disorganised.

North Shore could not he blamed for the heavy deficit, the team being complete];' disorganised through the absence of several of its best players. The margin of 10 goals in Thistle's favour was d- rather severe reflex of the plav. the Same re vol vine: :n midfield mostly. Bush and Hart showed promise, -while Cowie might have. been more effective if he had swung the hail about more. Tile third came played reunited in a mud scrnrnhle with neither side showing any pretentions at combined play. It must he admitted that the conditions at the time were far from ideal, heavy rain falling throughout. Celtic showed a slight superiority, and finisher) -vith a two-goals lead over the Onehnnga side. A match for the Navy Shield was played between the New- Zealand and Australian Navies at Melbourne on Snturdav last. It proved a hard-fought and interesting 'game, with the New Zealand sjde slightly the better. The final score, was 4 goals to 3 in New Zealand's favour. and this was a fair reflex of the piny. f'IiICKET EX VOYAGE. NIAGARA'S TEAM ACTIVE. 'Die officers and engineers of .he R..M.S. Niagara are very proud of their cricket team, comprised almost solely of New Zealanders and Australians, the former predominating. No opportunity ;s lost of issuing challenges to passengers daring the voyage to and from Vancouver. On the last tnp A. P. K. Chapman was among the passenger?, and, of course, such a distinguished cricketer was called into action. His reputation, however, did not worry the Niagara men, who disposed of the passengers' eleven for 48. Chapman's contribution beiry one. Mcßae, of Western .Australia, was lopscorer with 21 not ont. McAndrew. of the engineering staff, was the ship's hero, as he took nine wickeis. The Niagara tesjm looked upon 48 runs as being easy for v^ m r but they could make hut 55. McAn.few top-scored with 9. There were 13 extrVS:. 10 of which were awarded by Sir Satmi..\ Hordern. who officiated as an umpire. again upheld the good cricketing n<rjne of Australia by taking six.Niagara vicketa.